What do Alvin Kamara, Corradelle Patterson, De’vondre Campbell, and 2022 NFL Draft prospect Devonte Wyatt have in common?
In an answer that one might expect to see in an episode of Jeopardy, each one of those excellent players spent part of their college career at Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas.
It’s a small world after all, I suppose.
A 4 star prospect in high school, Wyatt initially committed to the Georgia Bulldogs. However, Wyatt was ruled academically ineligible to play, and did not enroll at Georgia, choosing instead to head to Kansas to play football and improve his grades.
After a 30 tackle and 3 sack season at Hutchinson, Wyatt was able to transfer to Georgia, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Four years later, Wyatt has amassed 113 tackles and been named 2nd team All-American and 1st team All-SEC. One of the anchors of the best defensive line in college football, Wyatt consistently blew away his competition on the field both in the running game and the passing game. Wyatt only had 2.5 sacks in 2021, but he added 14 quarterback pressures, which more often than not his talented teammates cleaned up.
Even at 6’3” and 304 pounds, Wyatt can be overlooked next to fellow Georgia draft prospects like Jordan Davis and Travon Walker. However, with 39 tackles on a championship winning defense, Wyatt proved that he can play in the National Football League.
Soon after Jordan Davis broke both the NFL combine record for 300+ pound men in the 40 yard dash and the internet, Wyatt turned in a 4.77 40 time, quietly breaking his teammate’s shiny new record. Still, Wyatt’s amazing athleticism is consistently overlooked by so-called “draft experts”. Thankfully however, the Green Bay Packers are not run by Mel Kiper, Jr.
Confidence certainly isn’t an issue for the young DT. Speaking to reporters at the NFL Combine, Wyatt said,
“If I was writing about myself, I’d write ‘This guy is amazing, he’s the best guy I ever met. Definitely, I’d write ‘I love this guy, he’s got a great personality, he can move, and he’s definitely going to be a great player in the NFL.”
While that may sound slightly brash, it’s hard to disagree with Wyatt’s self-summation. A clever and funny guy who lights up the room, Wyatt has both the mental and physical traits to succeed in life, and in the NFL. Devonte Wyatt could certainly help the Green Bay Packers if Brian Gutekunst decides to pull the trigger on the stud DT in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
